Peace Among Men ~ 20121223 ~ Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org
12/23 Advent: Luke 2:14 Peace among Men
We are looking at the statement the angelic armies made praising God in response to the good news proclamation of the birth of the eternal Son of God. The glory of God had not been seen for hundreds of years, since the glory had departed from the temple, and suddenly, into the darkness of the Judean countryside, the glory of the Lord blazed around a group of unsuspecting shepherds.
Luke 2:8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”
The announcement of the angel was a gospel announcement. The angel heralded good news of great joy. The word used here is where we get our word evangelize [ευαγγελιζω] – which is to proclaim the good news. 'stop fearing; see, I evangelize you' or 'I preach the gospel to you'. This gospel good news extended even to a group of nameless shepherds out in the wild. The good news is good news about a person. This is a birth announcement; the city of king David has become the birthplace of another greater King. The angel attributes three titles to this baby; Savior, Christ and Lord.
God our Savior
God is seen as Savior throughout the Old Testament.
2 Samuel 22:1 And David spoke to the LORD the words of this song on the day when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. 2 He said, “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, 3 my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence.
This title implies that we are in trouble and helpless and need to be rescued or saved from something or someone. The Psalmist, reflecting on Israel, says:
Psalm 106:21 They forgot God, their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt,
God says in Isaiah 43
Isaiah 43:3 For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. ...
Isaiah 43:11 I, I am the LORD, and besides me there is no savior.
In Isaiah 45, he says:
Isaiah 45:21 ...Who declared it of old? Was it not I, the LORD? And there is no other god besides me, a righteous God and a Savior;
In chapter 49 and chapter 60 he says:
Isaiah 49:26 ...Then all flesh shall know that I am the LORD your Savior, and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”
Isaiah 60:16 ...and you shall know that I, the LORD, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
God said to the prophet Hosea:
Hosea 13:4 But I am the LORD your God from the land of Egypt; you know no God but me, and besides me there is no savior.
So when the angel proclaimed the good news of a savior born, this would point to YHWH God come down in strength to rescue.
Christ
The angel announced that he is Christ. Christ is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word Messiah. Christ, or Messiah, is a title that means the anointed one. In the Old Testament, anointing with oil was part of the coronation ceremony to set someone apart for a particular position of authority. Kings were anointed. Priests were anointed. Prophets were anointed. The hope of Israel was the promise of this coming anointed one, the great Prophet who would speak in truth the words of the Lord, our great High Priest who would reconcile God to man, the coming King who will rule justly and shepherd his people. The angel pointed to Jesus as this coming anointed one, the hope of Israel, the great and final Prophet, Priest and King.
The LORD
The angel proclaimed that this baby born in Bethlehem is Lord. Back in verse 9, we are told that this angel is an angel of the Lord. The angel is a messenger sent by the Lord. The Lord is the sovereign one, who rules over angels. Also in verse 9, we are told that the glory of the Lord shone shone around them. The glory of the Lord is the brilliant radiance of the manifestation of God's presence. The baby in the feed trough is the sovereign one who sent this angel with this message, whose glory was illuminating the Judean hillside. In the Greek translation of the Old Testament, this word Lord is the word used to translate the tetragrammaton YHWH, God's personal name. In Luke 3, John is said to fulfill the prophesy of the one who prepares the way for YHWH, the Lord to come.
Luke 3:4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. (cf. Mt.3:3; Is.40:3)
The baby born in Bethlehem is the divine Savior, the Anointed Prophet, Priest and King, YHWH in the flesh.
Great Joy
The gospel message is a message of joy. The content of the evangelism of the angel to the shepherds is 'great joy'. This is a message that our pursuit of happiness can end here. God is bringing true soul satisfaction to the human race. This is a message of fulfillment, of deep delight. There is reason for celebration. Longing and hoping and waiting have blossomed into joy. Great joy!
Luke 2:10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”
Ar this proclamation of joy, the heavens ripped open and the heavenly hosts unleashed their worship.
Luke 2:13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
We focused last time on the first part of their praise: glory to God in the highest. God's glory is primary. To glorify God is why we exist, why everything exists. God's glory comes first. True joy comes when we get this right and begin to live our lives to the glory of God. The second part of the angels praise corresponds to the first. Glory in the first corresponds to peace in the second. In the highest corresponds to on earth. God corresponds to men of good pleasure. In the highest glory to God; on earth peace among men of good pleasure.
Peace
This is a staggering scene. The multiplied hosts of heaven. These are military terms. The armies of heaven appear in battle array. We are told what they say, but not how they said it. It could have been in song, it could have been shouted, it could have been chanted in military cadence. The infantries of heaven appear to declare peace on men. What is this peace they declare? We can quickly identify what it is not. Jesus said:
Mark 13:7 And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. (cf. Mt.24:6; Lk.21:9)
So the peace that Jesus brings is not a military peace or the absence of wars, at least not at his first coming. Nor is it peace in relationships among people. Jesus said:
Luke 12:51 Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. (cf. Mt.10:34)
Jesus promised his followers:
John 16:33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
So the peace that Jesus brings is peace in the midst of tribulation. Not national peace (not yet) and not interpersonal peace (not yet), but peace in him. The peace Jesus brings is other-worldly peace.
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
The apostles testified of peace through Jesus Christ. Peter said to the Gentile household of Cornelius:
Acts 10:36 As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all),
And then he went on to describe the life, ministry, crucifixion, resurrection, and appearances of Jesus, and he concludes
Acts 10:42 And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. 43 To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
The peace we have through Jesus Christ is peace with God, the forgiveness of our sins. This peace comes as a gift to everyone who believes in him. In the book of Romans, after explaining the concept of sinners being counted by God as righteous not because of their own works but because they trust in Jesus, it says
Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
The peace that Jesus brings is peace in our relationship to God. We were weak, helpless, ungodly sinners, enemies of God and fully deserving of his just wrath. But because Christ died for us, we can have peace with God. This reconciled relationship with God produces great joy.
Romans 5:9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
Men of Good Pleasure [ευδοκια]
To whom does this peace come? If we are right in defining the peace as peace with God, a reconciled relationship, then not everyone experiences this peace. The testimony of Jesus and the Apostles is unified that this peace comes to everyone who believes in Jesus, and only to those who believe in Jesus. This is not universal peace, because not everyone will believe. This phrase of angelic praise qualifies the peace. The second phrase of the angels has been translated in different ways in our English translations.
KJV and NKJV: ...and on earth peace, good will toward men.
MSG: ...Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.
NCV: ...and on earth let there be peace among the people who please God.”
NLT: ...and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
ESV: ...and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
NASB: ...And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”
HCSB: ...and peace on earth to people He favors!
NIV: ...and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
GW: ...and on earth peace to those who have his good will!”
WYC: ...and in earth peace be to men of good will
The Greek literally reads 'and on earth peace in men of good will or of good pleasure'. What does it mean to be a person 'of good pleasure'? Does this mean that God is pleased with the performance of some people, so he gives them his peace? This option is excluded on the grounds of the teaching of the rest of the New Testament:
Titus 3:5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy...
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
2 Timothy 1:8 ...God 9 who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,
There was only one man who ever totally pleased God with his life:
Matthew 3:17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (cf. Mt.12:18; 17;5; Mk.1:11; Lk.3:22; 2Pet.1:17)
The clear teaching of the New Testament is that peace with God comes to those who don't deserve it, who didn't earn it, to those who simply believe the promises of God. The well pleasing life of Jesus is credited to the account of those who embrace Jesus as their King.
Looking at other places this word translated 'good will' or 'good pleasure' shows up might help get a clearer picture of what is meant here. Luke uses this same word in chapter 10
Luke 10:21 In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. (cf. Mt.11:25)
Jesus rejoices in the gracious will and good pleasure of his Father in hiding things from the self-righteous and revealing them to the humble. The same word shows up twice in Ephesians 1
Ephesians 1:5 he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,
Ephesians 1:9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ
This word points to the mystery of the good pleasure of God's will. It is God's gracious purpose. On earth peace to men on whom his favor rests. This is good news of great joy to undeserving sinners! This is good news to these humble shepherds. To you is born a Savior, Christ the Lord! This message came to some shepherds. It did not come to Herod the Great, not to Caesar Augustus, not to the scribes and pharisees, not to the religious leaders, not to the Jewish High Priest, but to some shepherds who were out watching over their flocks at night. God's grace, his undeserved favor is extended to sinners.
...“I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. (Lk.10:21)
This message of peace with God is the gospel of great joy that will extend to all the people.
Response
Notice the response of these simple shepherds to this gospel presentation.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” 15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
These shepherds heard the good news. They talked to one another. They resolved to go see. They went with urgency. They were given a sign. They checked it out. They tested the message. They found things exactly as the angel had predicted. The message of good news was confirmed. So they made the message known. They told everybody! Good news of great joy for all the people! To you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. All who heard wondered, marveled. Some treasured. Some pondered. The shepherds returned glorifying God.
Good news has been proclaimed to you. Jesus came for you. The shepherds provide us with a great example of how to respond to the gospel. Be like the simple shepherds. Hear the gospel. Believe the gospel. Make the gospel known. Give glory and praise to God for the gospel. This is the sure path to genuine joy.